good counterpoint on the whole bruderhof thing

john sent a very apropos link to a book about the negative aspects of the bruderhof (and by extention any very cloistered authoritarian community) called The Other Side of Joy: Religious Melancholy Among the Bruderhof. Interestingly, a posted review on this website challenges the applicability or universiality of the book's central premise. Read the whole thing, but here is a good clip: "Rubin suggests that the Bruderhof are liable for "Anfechtung" (feelings of sinful alienation from God) amongst its members. Rubin suggests that the very structure of the group: (sharing goods in common, constant introspection regarding one's relationship with God under the supervision of a "shepherd", along with a severe rigidity concerning human sexuality) is at the heart of a condition, the "Bruderhof Syndrome", which is marked by severe alienation, depression, and loss of self esteem. "But he does not adequately support this conclusion. First, the book is limited by its choice of historical context. Few of the examples presented have occurred since the late '70's. Rubin further undercuts his argument from history by admitting that the group has evolved away from pietism and toward an ecumenical approach to social activism. By Rubin's own admission, the Bruderhof today are not the same introversionist sect which provide the context of his study. Its fair to suggest that many of the factors contributing to the "Bruderhof Syndrome" may have been mitigated. Second, he does not provide analysis of the incidence and type of neurosis in the Bruderhof. His brief chapter on the other Anabaptist groups contain more of this sort of information as regards the Hutterites, the Mennonites, and the Amish, then the book as a whole does when addressing the Bruderhof."